


Again and Again

by CyberSearcher



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Does Cole Ninjago is Gay?, Fluff, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pre-show, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, g a y, glaciershipping - Freeform, secretly pining, yes - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:01:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23426644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyberSearcher/pseuds/CyberSearcher
Summary: Cole catches feelings for the cute blonde his Sensei introduces him to as their newest student at the Monastery. He catches it bad.
Relationships: Cole/Zane (Ninjago)
Comments: 23
Kudos: 173





	Again and Again

**Author's Note:**

> I sacrificed my sleep cycle for this and I do not care. I did take a nap tho so it balances out. That’s how this works right? And apologies for the bad grammar, in my defence, I wrote this in past midnight. 
> 
> Thanks to https://zanetastic.tumblr.com/ for their dope glacier art. Go give em a follow, their art is so damn cute.

Panting hard and wiping the sweat of his brow, Cole tightened his grip on the scythe and blocked another attack from the spinning turntable of dummies. Ducking under the next, he ran against the treadmill and onto the jumping poles. Balancing with a weapon of this size was cumbersome; now he could hop from each without too much stumbling. 

Weaving through the next obstacle, a second dummy popped up. With his built up momentum, Cole kicked it down and pinned the straw man to the floor with a foot to it’s chest. But the swinging punching bag didn’t let him rest. It smashed into his side. He went flying back until he struck the blade of his scythe into the ground. 

He could feel the bruises forming on his bare skin alongside new scratches. Charging back, Cole was ready when the bag swung around a second time. He slid under the bag and jumped onto the circular treadmill. Blocking the spinning blades and diving through, the noirette was ready and sliced through the dummy before it could bring it’s wooden sword down on his head. He didn’t want another bruise there. 

Coming up from the mountain, Master Wu could hear the cogs of the training equipment whining and the assertive grunts of his first student. The old man stroked his beard and smiled, proud that he continued to practice even without his presence. 

Knocking down another dummy, the ninja didn’t look up when he heard the doors to the monastery opening. “Cole! I’d like you to meet Zane. He will be your new teammate.” 

Glancing out of the corner of his eye was a mistake. He saw the smaller, skinnier teen behind his master and found himself staring. Only to be smashed in the face by the swinging bag, skipping across the cobblestone. His mouth tasted like gravel and Cole knew he’d be icing his jaw and picking out gravel for about a week. 

He expected Zane to laugh at him. He could almost swear his master was chuckling at him under that beard. Instead, a cool hand gently rolled him over. Squinting in the afternoon, sunlight, it made his blonde hair look pearly white. A concerned, sympathetic expression filled his soft blue eyes and his mouth was pressed in a delicate line. 

“Are you alright?” He asked. “Why weren’t you wearing a shirt? Is that not impractical?”

Come just groaned and pushed himself up, brushing the dirt off his skin. He resisted the urge to cross his arms. Standing right infront of him, Cole could see that Zane was almost taller than him. He was much thinner than he was and as pale as a sheet. But his eyes were so bright, the almost glowed. 

He pushed away more of the sweaty hair that stuck to his forehead, feeling gritty in comparison and tried to hide his blush. “Uh, nice to meet you too… I’m gonna head inside.” 

He turned quickly and was glad his darker skin hid most of the blush working down his shoulder at this point. Zane watched with a perplexed expression. Sensei Wu turned off the active equipment and waited by the blondes side. 

He scratched his head, tilting it to one side as he watched Cole escape. “I do not understand, do you ask your students to train without a shirt regularly?” 

The old man shook his head. “No, you’ve done nothing wrong. Come, let me show you to your rooms.” 

Making his way indoors, the embarrassed ninja made a point to try and avoid Zane until he had washed off most of the sweat and put on a more proper outfit. With how the bedroom and bathrooms were connected, Cole made sure to bring his change of clothes with him. Lest he risk another mishap. 

He was drying off his damp hair with a towel as he heard Zane’s voice from the other room. “Thank you for your hospitality Master. I don’t know how to thank you. Perhaps I could cook dinner?”

“If you wish to do so.” Wu said. “I will leave you to adjust, is there anything else I can bring you?”

“No thank you.” 

Cole sighed deep as he pulled on his t-shirt and brushed back his hair. Stepping out, Zane was standing right infront of one of the band posters Cole had plastered to the walls. He was glad he took time to shove his DvD player under the bed before he took a shower. The blonde wandered around the room for a few more moments until he realized he was being watched. 

It was then Cole realized that Zane’s clothes were very threadbare. The shirt and pants looked to be woven from a coarse beige linen and his shoes were heavily scuffed. None of the beds had a backpack or suitcase close by either. All of them were bare, save for his own. A medical kit filled with gauze was opened on it. 

“Hello. I hope you enjoyed your shower.” Zane said. “Did you manage to tend to your wounds?” 

“I - they’ll heal. What about you?” Cole asked, then realized he didn’t know what to ask. “Um, do you miss home?” 

“No, I didn’t really have a home.” Zane said so matter-of-factly that Cole had to do a double take. 

“Oh.” He muttered dumbly. 

The awkward air sat heavy until Cole’s sympathy kicked in. “I guess you can borrow my spare clothes until we can get you new ones.” 

Zane’s smile was so soft. Mentally, he screamed at himself.

**::::**

“Oh my god!” 

Cole tipped his bowl up and didn’t bother with his spoon as he finished the last of the soup Zane had prepared. Even Sensei looked to be pleasantly surprised by how good his new students' cooking was. Zane himself ate quietly opposite to Cole, already reaching to ladle him another serving. 

“Do you always eat so much after training?” The blonde asked. 

“Ha, if you think this is bad, you should see me when I’m really starving.” Cole joked. 

Zane didn’t laugh at that. If anything, he looked a little concerned. “I’m not entirely sure that is a healthy habit. Perhaps smaller meals more frequently through the day would be better.” 

He cleared his throat. “Ah, nevermind. That was a joke.” 

“Oh, that was a good joke then.” The blonde gave a small ‘ha-ha’ that just made everything more awkward once again. 

Finishing their meals and after Cole insisted he wash the dishes, he showed Zane to the small living room within the dojo. A couch, older consol, a pile of magazines and a surprisingly good television decorated the space. Cole grabbed himself another glass of water and began flicking through channels. 

“So, um, where were you? When Wu found you.” Cole asked. “I was climbing a mountain.”

“Were you shirtless then?” Zane asked. Cole laughed at that, but the blonde's face didn’t betray any humour. 

Embarrassed once again, Cole muttered, “Y-yea. Wanted to test my limits.”

“Hm, I don’t suppose that it is any stranger to where Sensei found me. I was meditating at the bottom of a half frozen lake,” Zane’s expression grew pinched again. Cole already knew that was his tell that the blonde was in deep thought, “he was somehow drinking tea underwater. Is that normal for him?” 

Cole just shook his head. “Honestly, I don’t think anyone here is normal.” 

“Perhaps.” Zane mused. “You are certainly very handsome shirtless.” 

He coughed up his water at that statement. Zane didn’t comment on that, but did help to clear his throat with firm pats to the back. Cole decided it was best if he didn’t bring it up again. 

Eventually he found a cheesy romance movie that the ninja recalled seeing a few times. He’d tuned in to a really sappy moment. The two were sitting in a park bench, sunset in frame as they muttered loving words to one another. Apparently they were meeting in secret since their families didn’t approve of them together.

Cole wanted to roll his eyes at it, but he couldn’t help but find it sweet. As they pulled each other in for a kiss, he was thrown off guard as Zane suddenly began laughing. He expected a softer sound, but this was a much louder belly shaking laughter. Zane was holding his stomach while he tipped his head back, eyes wrinkled with joy. 

He found himself starring again, his lips tugged into a soft grin. The light brown sweater was baggy on Zane’s lankier body. His skin was so pale too. He wondered if it was as soft as it looked. 

“Cole? Cole, are you alright?” 

“Wha?” He said dumbly, shaking his head to clear his mind. “Uh, yea. You thought that was a funny scene?”

“Yes.” Zane said, tilting his head again. “Is it not?” 

Cole tried to shrug nonchalantly. “You’ve got your own tastes.” 

He could still see Zane laughing as he tried to fall asleep. 

The next morning, Sensei had to go to town to buy more groceries. He instructed Cole to teach Zane the basics of some of the weapons they had, along with basic stances. Tying the belt of his Gi, Cole stepped out of the monastery to find Zane was already there. 

He was dressed in a similar uniform and sat in a meditative stance. His breathing was so quiet Cole had to lean in to hear it. It made the blonde suddenly jerking up all the more of a shock. Cole jumped back and gave a sharp yelp of surprise. Zane gave another small chuckle. 

“So, normally it’s best to focus on footwork. You need to know where to move in a fight so your opponent can’t knock you over with their strikes.” Cole explained. 

He fell into a low stance, front leg bent and his back foot at a right angle. His hand were close to his chest and he held the pose so Zane could inspect it. Cole tried not to think too hard about that. 

“You try. I’ll help you out.” He gestured to the blonde. 

Zane nodded and managed to copy his stance almost perfectly. “You’re not bending your knee enough, here,” Cole reached out with a hand and carefully guided him into the right posture. 

Keeping his mind focused on training helped to clear out any other thoughts. Zane was a quick study, but he still tended to be too rigged in his stances. Using the now-immobile punching bag, Cole spotted him as he practiced some kicks. 

“Wait a bit, go again.” He asked. Zane did so and he could see what was wrong. “You’re leaning back when you kick and you’re hitting with your toes. You hit with the flat part.” 

The blonde nodded and as he went for another strike, Cole ordered him to freeze and reached out to adjust. He tried not to think too hard about how his waist fit so easily into his hands when he leaned Zane forward. Something else did catch his attention. Brushing against him, he felt the blonde shiver. He was about to release him, Until he saw the way Zane’s lips curled up. 

Cole grinned to himself internally. The rest of the training passed well and Cole was impressed with how good Zane’s aim was with a pair of shuriken. Nailing the same target he’d sliced in half in it’s head and neck on the first try. 

“Yea, you’re doing pretty good.” Cole stated. “But just wait for when you’ve gotta run the obstacle course. Then you’ll want that first aid kit.” 

Zane took a small sip from the water bottle. Even after all that training, he still looked pristine. “At least I have a good teacher to reduce the chances of my injury.” 

The darker skinned teen just took the compliment. He wasn’t sure if Zane was even implying anything or if he was just being honest. 

A silence stretched on, but with an air of content rather than awkwardness. Zane quietly said. “I am thankful that you and Sensei Wu have welcomed me here.” 

“Oh, yea it’s no problem.” Cole said, recalling what Zane said last night. 

Zane traced his finger through the gravel. “It is… it feels good to belong somewhere. I do not know if I have ever known what it is to belong until now. I do not remember belonging.” 

There was more of a story there, but the blonde looked so melancholy Cole didn’t want to push it. “Well you’ve got a place here now. I hope it’s enough.” 

Zane turned to face him this time. That soft smile made his heart skip a beat again. “Thank you Cole.” 

His expression was still sober and so was the silence that followed. Cole considered telling some funny story to lighten the mood, but that would most certainly be a hit or miss. Then remembering Zane’s reaction from before, Cole grinned. 

“Hey, you know a ninjas’ gotta be prepared for anything right?” He said. Zane listened attentively. 

Cole almost felt bad when he dove forward and tackled him to the ground. Rustling his fingers through the baggy material of his uniform, Cole quickly found Zane’s ribs and began to tickle him mercilessly. His laughter was dripping with joy even as the blonde tried to fight him off. 

“C-Cole! G- hahah - get off me!” He cried, scrabbling at the stronger teen for purchase. 

The other quickly grabbed Zane’s free hand to keep the other from trying to tickle him back. When the blonde buckled up hard to try and throw him back, Cole resorted to straddling his hips. 

Zane tried to use his free hand to shove at Cole's shoulder. Cole countered by reaching under his armpit and the squeal of laughter that followed made his smile grow stupidly wide. 

“Cole! Cole! You win! You win, just stop already!” The blonde gasped out between wheezing laughter. 

The other ninja was beginning to heave out his laughter too. Rolling off and breathing hard to catch his breath, Cole glanced to the side to check on the smaller teen. Zane was holding his stomach, facing him with an expression of equal merith. 

“I’ll get you next time.” He breathed out. 

Cole raised an eyebrow, “Oh, good think I know to watch my back.” 

He found himself letting his guard down the rest of the day, hoping that it would happen again. He hoped he didn’t imagine the growing fondness in those shining blue eyes. Zane’s expression for the rest of the day still shone with that playful expression. 

Cole screamed into his pillow once he was sure Zane was asleep that night. “God,” he groaned, “I’m such a mess.”


End file.
